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Frozen mains

Thawing of frozen mains and service pipes by steam.

For small work a device known as a thawing steamer can be used to great advantage. This steamer is made of copper, and so constructed as to set over a plumbers' furnace. A safety valve should of course be used on the steamer. The steam that is generated by the steamer is injected into the frozen pipe through block tin, brass or copper tubing small enough to pass through half-inch pipe. If there are bends in the frozen piping, however, lead pipe should be used. The size of the thawing pipe is generally 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch. As the steam is thrown against the face of the ice in the pipe, it melts very rapidly, and the pipe can be pushed in as fast as the melting takes place. The thawing of larger work can be accomplished by apparatus of exactly the same nature as the small steamer, but built on a larger scale. For the steamer an expansion tank may be used, and this should be provided with a steam gauge, water column, safety valve, an outlet for the steam with valve, and a valved pipe for supplying water to the boiler. Even frozen sewers have been cleared by means of such apparatus as this.

Thawing of frozen pipes by the use of hot water.

While the above method is superior to the use of hot water, the latter may be used to advantage in a similar way. To a 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch lead thaw pipe, solder a small funnel. Holding the funnel as high up as possible, insert the thaw pipe into the frozen pipe, and pour in hot water gradually. As fast as the hot water thaws the ice, the thaw pipe can be pushed in, and in this way pipe can be thawed for a distance of 50 feet.

This was taken from the book "Questions and Answers on the Practice and Theory of Sanitary Plumbing, Volume III, Practical Wrinkles", which was published in 1919.

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